Chapter 2: Birthing a Gift

Queen Raina was resting on her and her husband's bed in their bedroom; she had sweat trickling down her neck and her breathing was becoming a strain. Her belly was full and round, swollen with a little infant ready to be born. King Skyrel paced in front of their balcony window sighing stressfully. Raina looked at her husband, "Do not stress my love, I will live through this." Raina's form flashed from human to her feral and back to her human form. She let out a sound that was a mix of a woman's scream and a wolf's howl. "I understand how strong you are my queen, but how can I not worry, a werewolf birthing is one of the hardest things about our race. Changing so many times so fast is not something our bodies can manage." Skyrel pressed his hand into Raina's palm; she fastened her fingers between his.

Suddenly her grip became very tight, and her eyes went wide with terror, pain shining in through her iced gaze. Her breathing began to quicken, and her feral form began increasing in time length. Shrieks and growls released from her chest. A young healer rushed to her side with a glass of water and a small plant in her hand and spoke in a soft voice, "My queen you must take this. It will ease the pain." Raina only growled at the young healer and slashed her claws. The cup of water spilled out of the healer's hands and splashed to the ground. The healer backed away, afraid of the thrashing queen.

Raina began to thrash and howl in pain. Skyrel flipped into his feral form and leapt upon her, holding her paws down tight against his chest. He stared with his yellow eyes deep into hers. "Control yourself. You must have control! Focus your energy into our child. Breathe my queen, breath. Bring our child into Telaerion." Raina went calm for a short second as he spoke, staring intently into his eyes.

Raina began a fit of pain once more, whimpering and screeching in agony, but she put all the energy she had into her baby. An older healer stood at the foot of the bed trying to bring the small infant out. "Just a bit more, my queen." The healer informed Raina that she was close.

Raina's muscles tensed, and her human form came upon her, then her body went limp, her breath shortening and almost coming to a halt. The room echoed with small cries of a baby. "It is a wonderful little girl my queen." The healer spoke to the queen holding her infant in his hands, but the Queen was still and her eyes closing slowly in a blur. "It's a girl my love, a beautiful princess. Raina? Raina!" Skyrel shouted her name changing back into human and releasing his grip on her wrists. He searched her face for life and whispered her name softly. He then threw one of his hands on the back of his head and tipped his head up to the ceiling. Tears swelled in his eyes and his heart felt heavy, as if it were an anchor dropping into a deep ocean.

The fear of losing his queen was rising in his throat. He stared at her once more, "I cannot live this life without you my queen…" then he lost himself back to the ceiling, with a drop of water spilling from his left eye.

Several moments later, while the king was sitting beside his still queen, she shifted her hand, "S... Skyrel." Raina mumbled her husband's name and began gasping in short breaths of air, "I did it." Skyrel pressed her chest gently against his and cried softly in relief. Raina looked towards the healer that was holding her little bundle and the healer took a few steps toward her handing the bundle gently in her arms. Skyrel stared at the child, her eyes sparkled inside his and he gave a great smile to his daughter. "Look Skyrel, she has the most unique eyes I have ever seen." The child's eyes were icy blue with yellow sparking off the pupils. Skyrel spoke four words that became his new life, "Princess Aliana Serena Alune."